[InMyArms]

I'm just back from the morning auditions.

Mel started off well, with her swift yet honest critiques proving popular. As the morning progressed, however these became irritating as she wasn't giving proper critique - merely stating that she didn't like it, which was useless to the contestants. There were also other minor things that I think many found inrritating, for example when she made a comment that a contestant was awkward to watch (an unpopular comment, with the typical boos a judge gets when making negative comments to someone that isn't bad but isn't excellent) a member of the audience shouted "I didn't feel awkward!", another shouted "Neither did I!" after which Mel spun around in her chair and shouted "Well you're not sitting where I'm sitting".. which came across as her saying that the audience opinion is worthless.. not something the audience want to hear! Generally she became more and more objectional as the day went on.

After the break in auditions - and this is when I turned from liking her to not - when the judges returned a sweet elderly man of 84 performed an emotional rendition of 'Make You Feel My Love' by Adele - clearly for his wife who had passed away four years ago. His vocal was by no means perfect, but it wasn't bad.. Tulisa expressed that she felt his emotion - Gary on the other half said that whilst he enjoyed it he wasn't right for the show. Mel, however, declared that he 'bored me to sleep'. All I heard from the audience were shocked gasps, including my own. How could she be so nasty as to say this to an elderly man singing about his late wife? There was no need for such rudeness! It was at this point that the crowd turned on her. I've never heard such long and sustained boos for a judge before in all the times I've been to the show, and this was followed by shouts of 'Bring Back Geri', something that had already been shouted a few times in the first half of the sitting.

Some time later a man sang Disco Inferno, it wasn't great..it wasn't awful either. The crowd loved it though, it was fun and people were dancing and generally having a good time. The other judges acknowledged that he was fun, but Mel declared that there 'was nothing right about that performance'. Again, cue the loud and sustained booing. (She wouldn't have been booed in this manner, had it not been for the events in the paragraph above)

After the final act had performed - and I have this bit on audio only tape and will upload to youtube when I get a minute. The audio on my camera is unclear, all I can hear is Mel saying 'Don't call me that, it's not their [crowd] audition, it's your audition'. I recall she turned to the audience angrily as she said it, but as it was the final audition we were more interested in getting back to the car so I missed much of it.

She was awful to that poor elderly man.

[Tyjet]

The producers would have been loving her.

[wsidi]

My god. So is she still doing all 3 days?

[ASHFORDSTP]

Mel like to play the "Bitch" she is exactly like this on the Australian auditions.

[GeorgeMarsh]

Does it really matter what the audience think from what I have seen from all auditions on TV they are as common as muck.
Its only a few thousand people I doubt producers care how they react.

[priscilla]

her voice annoys me
she sounds rude

[ASHFORDSTP]

Originally Posted by GeorgeMarsh

Does it really matter what the audience think from what I have seen from all auditions on TV they are as common as muck.
Its only a few thousand people I doubt producers care how they react.

I agree - the producers want Drama hence the reason they bought in Mel B. She is exactly like this on the Australian auditions.

[Mitch 123]

I was there too and I think Mel really added to the day. In comparison Tulisa came across as boring. She was controversial, but honest. Most of the time the things she were telling the acts were true. She would critique them, while the other judges gushed with the usual cliches.

While her reply to the older man was mean I think that was the only time she went from critical to mean. The other times her critiques were totally fair, but because she didn't act like she had just seen the second coming of Beyonce every time someone who could hold a note came on stage the crowd didn't like it. They much prefer Louis' you are "you are the next big popstar" cliche.

At the end of the day Simon and Gary say things like this all the time, but Mel is a woman. She is critical and opinionated but coming from a woman the crowd didn't like that.

[Mitch 123]

And actually the events described in the last paragraph are wrong.

The act was about to sing her second song, "Young" by Tulisa. Ellie asked the audience to sing along with her before she started and Mel stated that it was her audition and she wanted to here her sing not the audience.

I don't see what was wrong with that. She was trying to give some good advice to the acts, but unless it is all positive the chavs don't like it.

[InMyArms]

Originally Posted by Mitch 123

And actually the events described in the last paragraph are wrong.

I'll be uploading it onto youtube in about an hour, the audio I mean. I haven't heard it clearly as it's still just in my camera.. and as I say I was more interested in getting back to the car before the rush

[Letsjustgo27]

Sounds like aside from the older man, she was honest. Likely bitch honest. But still.

Did she take any swipes at the other judges?

[Mitch 123]

Originally Posted by Letsjustgo27

Sounds like aside from the older man, she was honest. Likely bitch honest. But still.

Did she take any swipes at the other judges?

None at all.

I'll be uploading it onto youtube in about an hour, the audio I mean. I haven't heard it clearly as it's still just in my camera.. and as I say I was more interested in getting back to the car before the rush

So why do you come onto an internet forum and make accusations when you do not know what really happened. Your whole account is total rubbish tbh.

One more thing. The awkward comment aimed at the Aiden Grimshaw style singer was meant as a compliment. She said she liked his whole awkward persona.

[anactoria]

Originally Posted by Mitch 123

None at all.



So why do you come onto an internet forum and make accusations when you do not know what really happened. Your whole account is total rubbish tbh.

Are you being paid to defend Mel B?

I only ask because I can't imagine that anyone who isn't being paid would care in the slightest what people say about her.

[InMyArms]

Originally Posted by Mitch 123

So why do you come onto an internet forum and make accusations when you do not know what really happened. Your whole account is total rubbish tbh

What I have said, including the quote which is the only bit I can make out on my camera, is accurate. I have it on audio.

I liked her until the thing with the elderly man, which was out of order.

[Mitch 123]

No not at all. I came on here to post my opinions on the day. If someone is posting false accounts of the day I am going to correct them.

So your basing it on a tiny snippet of sound you caught as you were leaving the auditions caught while the crowd were cheering. The fact is she was encouraging the act not putting them or the crowd down.

She was telling Ellie that she wanted to hear her voice not the audiences. Fair point IMO judging by some of the people in there

[sjon]

Shes probably fishing for a transfer from XF Australia. She seems controversial enough to be noticed, but Nicole has probably already signed on the dotted line.

[InMyArms]

Originally Posted by Mitch 123

No not at all. I came on here to post my opinions on the day. If someone is posting false accounts of the day I am going to correct them.

So your basing it on a tiny snippet of sound you caught as you were leaving the auditions caught while the crowd were cheering. The fact is she was encouraging the act not putting them or the crowd down.

She was telling Ellie that she wanted to hear her voice not the audiences. Fair point IMO judging by some of the people in there

I've said what I saw. Nothing else. I was clear that I may be wrong about that in my OP.

The recording, of the final auditionee, is 9 minutes long and has the whole audition. Not sure how clear it will be, the singing vocals seem clear.

[bazztheman93]

im just looking through twitter and the reviews seem very good, Harsh but honest by many is the main opinion

[XFactorFanatic1]

Was Mel really this bad? I really hope Anastacia impresses at the Glasgow auditions.

[InMyArms]

Originally Posted by XFactorFanatic1

Was Mel really this bad? I really hope Anastacia impresses at the Glasgow auditions.

To be fair to her she did have her positive qualities, and about half an hour in I thought 'She'd be good as the permanent judge, but the way she handled the 84 year old man has totally overshadowed that in my mind.. I found it shocking that someone who is seemingly intelligent could be so heartless. He was just a typical old man, that you could tell was singing the song for his wife who had passed away so I was very very shocked that she didn't say 'no' in a nicer way given the circumstances. How hard would it have been for her to say something like 'That was really nice, but I don't think it was right for this competition'.

To be as cruel as to say 'that bored me to sleep' after a performance like that benefits nobody, least of all Mel who was very heavily booed for it. She's very lucky it wasn't going out live.

[InMyArms]

Originally Posted by Mitch 123

One more thing. The awkward comment aimed at the Aiden Grimshaw style singer was meant as a compliment. She said she liked his whole awkward persona.

Actually, I believe she said that 'when you feel awkward, we feel awkward'.. I remember that clearly!

[gpk]

this is ridiculous. who in their right mind would shout `bring back geri`? i bet these people were deliberately planted to create a `story`. it wouldn't surprise me if the whole thing was staged. it has not been reported yet, so the story hasn't made the same impact that geri`s did when she got booed.

[mmeister2]

Originally Posted by InMyArms

Actually, I believe she said that 'when you feel awkward, we feel awkward'.. I remember that clearly!

That sounds like fair criticism to me. She's telling him he basically needs to loosen up. I agree. If I watch someone performing awkwardly I feel a little awkward and embarassed for them.

I wasn't there so I can't judge the rest of the day but Mel is okay on the Australian XF. She does get booed but she also adds humour to the show and she's liked more than disliked. She knows she can be a bitch and accepts it. It's refreshing tbh.

[newportjoe25]

I'd take Mel B over Geri anyday. At least Mel B gets to the point. And she is a producers dream, they need a bitchy figure there with Simon gone, Gary and his rehearsed one liners don't cut it. I wouldn't mind seeing her as a permanent judge but I guess she is too busy with her other commitments.

And nobody should really care if the audience boos or not. The audience used to boo Queen Cheryl sometimes too.

[Diceroll_81]

Originally Posted by newportjoe25

I'd take Mel B over Geri anyday. At least Mel B gets to the point. And she is a producers dream, they need a bitchy figure there with Simon gone, Gary and his rehearsed one liners don't cut it. I wouldn't mind seeing her as a permanent judge but I guess she is too busy with her other commitments.

And nobody should really care if the audience boos or not. The audience used to boo Queen Cheryl sometimes too.

I agree - I can only imagine how Mel would react to Tulisa and Louis accusing one of her acts of bullying people!

What she said to that elderly man sounds harsh, but I'm pretty sure most singing show judges make the odd faux-pas here and there. I still remember Simon's 'bush baby' comment on Idol years ago